MORE WALKS and other flights of fantasy
by Paul F. Whitman
Large Format Landscape 13 x 11 in,
33 x 28 cm
format, 240 pages.
In
1980 I joined the Confederate Air Force based at Harlingen, Texas as a
means of getting involved with WWII aircraft. Being of a photographic
bent, I figured that being included in their Photo Team would give me an
advantage in getting rides, and it did.
I also figured that my trip to the US would be my once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to pursue warbirds. Fortunately, I was misinformed, and
other trips followed. (Yes, I am one of those tragics who not only stops
and looks at airplanes, I will fly six thousand miles and drive a few
thousand more to do so.)
The Photo Team had a downside, though. We were required to shoot slide
film exclusively, and all films had to be turned in after each
assignment. "Private shots" were verbotten on aircraft, and
private images were allowed only out of official hours. So I took home
many more memories than I had photographs to show. Consequently, more
than 35 years later, this retrospective has some holes in it.
Nonetheless, I hope this collection gives a hint of just how much fun it
truly was.
This book isn't about the CAF, nor even about my journey in 1980. The
CAF was just the front door. Entering it, I encountered my "flights of
fantasy" - those seeds of imagination which remain with me still.
As an Author's draft,
this has not been released for sale.
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